Everything I've read of Mayle's - fiction and nonfiction alike - is very very close to the same central theme of expats' lives in Provence.

This stuff is enjoyable, but it's too selfsimilar to take in gulps. Spread it out and let a year go by between doses of Mayle and you'll like it more (or tire of it less).

More galavanting about southern France with money. Englishman takes ad in Herald Tribune and ends up housesitting in a fabulous apartment in Monte Carlo with instructions to spend plenty of money. Hmmm. You betcha, we got intrigue: international truffle cartel, a beautiful Israeli ex-commando spy, a Japanese superbodyguard, various mafias, etc ad gigglum.

The tale is brain candy and the money-is-cool thing is a bit overdone, but overall a decided thumbs-up.

A photographer unwittingly gets involved in the world of high-stakes art forgeries, gets the girl and saves the day. Good vintage Mayle.

Englishman sets up a hotel in rural Provence, finds lots of things to worry about (so we can laugh about) when dealing with locals and English expat community.

Like Anything Considered, this is brain candy. But so what. The story is pleasant enough, and has enough local quirkery to remain interesting.

Mayle sorts through a collection of things you get when you're rolling in it: servants, private jets, exotic clothiers accomodations and foods, etc. Overall spotty, but I'd say he just barely brings it off. Interestingly, he doesn't tell you how much the really expensive stuff actually costs.

Sequel to A Year in Provence. Uninspired, but Mayle's good enough to make it readable.

British ad exec takes early retirement; he and his wife move to inland Provence, take an old farmhouse, and set out to establish a life there. This book chronicles one calendar year in which the couple settles in, discovers the environs, and deals with a host of wacky contractors whose missions don't seem to include completing their work.

By far Mayle's best, this is charming, funny, and fun throughout.